Elementals:

Air: Sylvestris

Earth: Gnomus

Fire: Volcanus

Water: Nymph

Chapter 9

Steele's pack brothers didn't smile at us when we got out of the taxi. He was still pulling my bags out of the back when I walked up to them.

"So which one of you did I toss into a car?"

They all smiled and one lifted his hand. His red hair glinted at me in the sunlight as I took in his form. All three of them were as heavily muscled as Steele, with broad shoulders and thick arms.

Must be a werewolf trait.

"Thank you for shipping my stuff. I can't say I would have done the same for some one who acted the way I did."

One of the blondes spoke this time. "Don't worry about it. Steele explained it to us. I'm Thomas by the way. This is my brother Ryan." he nodded to the other blonde beside him.

I looked at the red head, "Gunner."

I felt my eyebrow rise and I smiled. "Gunner? Let me guess, biblical, right?"

He laughed. "I'm glad you're funny. You're gonna need that sense of humor."

Well that wiped the smile off my face. Nothing says buzz kill like creepy foreshadowing.

Steele came up behind me and put his arm around my shoulders. "Ready?"

We entered the busy terminal and checked in. The woman at the ticket counter gave me weird looks the entire time, I figured it had something to do with the company I was keeping.

Long lines and two packets of skittles later, we were on the plane. I was seated next to Gunner and we talked most of the time. I learned that the rest of their pack was back in Washington and Steele's father was their leader.

"Can I ask you something?"

Gunner looked up at me from the peanuts the flight attendant had dropped off. He was having trouble opening them so I took them out of his hands and tore them open. "Why do all of you look so similar?"

He frowned at me, I wasn't sure if it was because of the question or because I had just shown him up with the peanuts.

"You think we look alike?"

I nodded, "I don't mean your coloring or anything, but your body types. Why do you all seem so… fit?"

"Oh, I see what you mean. Okay, so Steele told you that we're born werewolves right?"

I shook my head and Gunner sighed. "Nice. Anyway, you have to be born this way. Lycanthropy is a genetic trait; it's the only way it can be passed on, so when we have our first change at thirteen, our bodies have to be able to take it. Or we'll die. Becoming a werewolf doesn't make us look like this, it just natural selection. The body has to be tough enough to take the change."

That kind of excited me. That meant that there were about thirty other men in Clear Water who were built like Steele. Sweet.

I woke up to something squeezing my hand. When I looked up I saw that Steele's shoulder had replaced Gunner's under my cheek. Some how they had done it without waking me up.

"We're about to land."

I stretched and rolled my neck around trying to relax the tight muscles. I opened my eyes and caught Steele watching me.

He laughed and shook his head. "You're the worst kind of tease."

I smiled. "And what kind am I?"

"The ones who don't know the effect they have on others."

I rolled me eyes. "Please. I totally know."

I heard Gunner laugh behind us and the plane started to descend.

Across the aisle I saw Ryan had his armrests in a death grip.

"You okay?"

He looked over at me and shook his head. "I'm a ground person."

We left the airport and I cringed as the cold air bit at my face. I started to push the wind away from me but stopped when Steele shot me a look. We landed around two in the morning and Thomas told me that it was still a couple hours drive to Clear Water.

The drive was almost silent, Ryan was asleep most of the time and we only stopped to let Gunner take over the driving from Steele. I got out of the car to stretch my legs and watched as Steele walked into the gas station to pay. I hadn't noticed before just how broad his shoulders were. Watching him there, I felt wild and anxious. I wanted to run over and push him up against the car, but the more I thought about it, the more I was sure that the reason I felt these things was because I thought of him as my rescuer. He had taken me away from imminent danger in Georgia and was setting me up with Lani.

Before Steele walked into the building, he turned and caught me staring. He smirked on side of his mouth and winked at me. I was considering whether or not I was horny enough to jump Steele in a gas station bathroom when Gunner bumped into my shoulder.

"So will you be training at the gym once you're all settled in? We've got a ton of elementals there who can help you. Although Lani might want to keep you to herself."

"I'm pretty positive I'll want to train with you guys. I'd be an idiot if I didn't take advantage of all the things you have to offer."

"Good. It'll be fun having you around."

I smiled and bumped his shoulder. Steele was walking back towards us, and we were back on the road again in no time. I had only been on one road trip before this, and it was when we were moving to Atlanta. It was awkward and quiet and my mom kept giving me the side-eye like she expected me to suddenly whip out something to knife her with.

In comparison, this trip was a hell of a lot better.

Around six am we passed the clean white sign welcoming guests to Clear Water, proudly proclaiming it one of Washington State's best small towns. I was a little ashamed; I had pictured something straight out of Harry Potter, with a hidden town and bustling shops selling raven claws and chinchilla tails. Lord, they even had the cliché little white chapel. How could this be the epicenter of the supernatural antiwar movement?

It was still dark out when we pulled into the driveway of a stone cottage with ivy-covered walls. The chimney was spouting smoke that swirled and danced around itself. The air felt so pure here, so clean and light. It wasn't heavy with pollutants and toxins like in the city. I felt a warm breeze brush my cheek and I smiled, it was the first warm air I'd felt since we landed. It was welcoming me.

Walking up I caught sight of myself in one of the windows on the house and saw just how nervous I looked. When did the grip on my emotions become non-existent? I straitened my back and took a deep breath. In my reflection I watched my face set in an expressionless mask.

"She'll see right through that."

I jumped a little and turned to see Steele watching me.

"What will she see through?"

"That mask. It may work on us," he tuned his face toward the house. "but it won't on her." I watched him walk up the driveway and around the back of the house. Right past the front door.

"Shouldn't we knock?"

He shook his head without looking at me. "She's in the courtyard."

I didn't ask how he knew that and I followed. I shot one last look at the men in the car. They all waved and shot me sweet smiles, silently wishing me good luck.

The backyard wasn't like anything I had seen before. Thick old trees sat deep in moss-covered soil. Along the walls of the house were bushes that I was sure would blossom when it got warmer. I followed the stone pathway to a large opening with a stone floor.

The old Indian woman looked at me and smiled. She was radiant. Her orange and yellow dress was like a bouquet of sunflowers, such a sharp contrast to her ink black hair with silver streaks of shooting stars. Surrounded by her trees filled with fireflies she stood up from her chair and came to me. I felt her hand press against my cheek as I watched her close her eyes.

"So wild. Very strong. Very dangerous. They love you already."

"Who?" I asked in a small voice.

She opened her eyes. "The air, dear. Don't you feel them pulling you? Each breeze wants you for themselves. They all have something to tell you, they're so happy you're here." I thought of the warm breeze in the driveway.

Lani tuned and looked at Steele. "Thank you for bringing her to me. You may go." He nodded to her and left. It irked me a little that he didn't say good-bye.

She waited till we heard the car start and pull out of the driveway to speak.

"You have your father's eyes."